Juliette Kayyem looks at Massachusetts governor’s race

National security expert Juliette Kayyem is actively exploring a run for governor of Massachusetts, consulting with state and national Democrats about her possible prospects in 2014, according to multiple Democrats familiar with the conversations.

A former assistant secretary in President Barack Obama’s Department of Homeland Security, Kayyem would bring an unconventional political profile to the race to succeed outgoing Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick.

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National Democrats said they believe Kayyem is unlikely to run if state Attorney General Martha Coakley enters the race.

But the Harvard lecturer and Boston Globe columnist has taken steps to test the 2014 waters. Kayyem has spoken with EMILY’s List; the Boston Globe reported last month that the Democratic women’s group viewed Kayyem as a potentially strong female gubernatorial contender.

Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman John Walsh said he had been in touch with Kayyem recently and expects her to show up at the upcoming state Democratic convention.

“I know she’s thinking about it,” Walsh said of Kayyem and the governor’s race, calling her an “unquestionably talented, passionate, committed woman who, if she committed to it, would be a real candidate.”

Kayyem has also spoken with appointed Sen. Mo Cowan, who is filling out John Kerry’s unexpired term until Sen.-elect Ed Markey takes office, a spokesperson confirmed. The Cowan aide declined to elaborate on the details of the conversation.

“They are friendly and speak time to time, and he thinks she is an outstanding public servant,” the spokesperson said.

Kayyem, who holds a lecturer position at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Were she to run, Kayyem would join a growing field of Democratic gubernatorial candidates, several of whom have atypical political backgrounds. Another former Obama administration official, ex-Medicare chief Don Berwick, has already entered the race, as has pharmaceutical executive Joe Avellone. State Sen. Dan Wolf, the founder of Cape Air, and state Treasurer Steve Grossman are also likely candidates, and Rep. Mike Capuano is exploring the race.

Coakley, who reopened the door to a gubernatorial run after closing it earlier this year, would loom large over the field if she decided to enter the race. She has also been in touch with EMILY’s List.

The Republican nomination is also up for grabs, with speculation centered on 2010 gubernatorial nominee Charlie Baker and former Sen. Scott Brown.

Walsh said he welcomed the large and diverse field of candidates on his side, calling that characteristic of a state that elected Patrick to the governor’s mansion and Elizabeth Warren to the United States Senate, in what was the first political campaign for each of them.

“We’ve got a system here where people like that feel like they’ve got a shot,” Walsh said. “[Kayyem’s] challenge is, she’s never done this before, but that’s what they said about Deval Patrick and Elizabeth Warren.”